Your morning briefing. All the news you need to start your day.

On today's podcast:

(1) President Donald Trump and Iranian officials offered disparate views on the next stage of the war, casting uncertainty over whether the two sides would meet for peace talks with a ceasefire set to expire in the coming days.

(2) Oil and natural gas prices soared after the US Navy seized an Iranian ship during a chaotic weekend that saw Tehran firing at vessels and reimposing controls in the Strait of Hormuz.

(3) The United Arab Emirates has begun talks with the US about a financial backstop in case the Iran war plunges the country into further crisis, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials it didn’t identify.

(4) Keir Starmer is preparing for a showdown with the senior official he fired over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, as calls for the prime minister to resign grow.

(5) Former President Rumen Radev, who opposes sanctions on Russia and military aid for Ukraine, claimed an overwhelming victory in Bulgaria’s election and pledged to turn the page on years of political gridlock and corruption.

 
(6) Hungary’s outgoing government signaled it’s ready to unblock the European Union’s €90 billion ($106 billion) loan to Ukraine as soon as this week just as the new leadership in Budapest kicked off intensive talks with Brussels to tap its own stalled funding.

(7) Nearly a decade since the first investigations began, Nordic banks are only now emerging from the shadow of a $230 billion money-laundering scandal linked to Russia.

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